News Release

September 21, 2000 - Columbus, Ohio
- Disaster Response

Tax rules suspended Following Governor Bob Taft’s declaring a
state of emergency for Greene County, the Ohio Department of
Taxation (ODT) today (9/21/00) is suspending some tax filing
requirements for businesses and individuals impacted by the
tornado that hit the Xenia area last night.

Tax Commissioner Tom Zaino says businesses that cannot access
their records because of the storm are eligible for an up to
60-day extension of the deadline for filing the August sales
tax return due September 23, 2000. That extension will
automatically waive all potential penalties and interest
which otherwise apply with late returns.

Zaino says individual taxpayers, who have approval to file
their income tax return by October 16th, will have
their filing deadline extended until November 30, 2000. In
addition, Zaino says ODT will be suspending all auditing and
billing activities in the emergency area for at least 30
days.

Affected businesses and individuals are being asked to
contact ODT and request an extension. A toll-free number –
1-888-405-4039 – has been set up to provide
assistance and further information.